The European Commission has accepted the European Committee for Interoperable Systems (ECIS) - a tech group representing IBM, Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE), RealNetworks (NSDQ: RNWK) and others - as a third party in its antitrust case against Microsoft’s Windows web browser tying.

ECIS spokesperson Thomas Vinje (a partner at legal firm Clifford Chance), in the release: “This is an important case to ensure that browsers can compete on the merits and that consumers have a true choice in the software they use to access the world wide web. Smaller, more innovative browser developers need a level playing field.  That is why there is such broad support for the commission’s preliminary findings of abuse.” (NB. this ECIS is not the same ECIS that some media are reporting is “led” by IBM - that is IBM’s own “Education Center for IBM Software”).

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has Norwegian browser maker Opera to thank for this latest EC inquiry - it lodged a complaint with the commission in December 2007. The EC in January issued an initial objection, claiming Microsoft tying its browser to its OS “distorts competition on the merits between competing web browsers insofar as it provides Internet Explorer with an artificial distribution advantage which other web browsers are unable to match”. Google (NSDQ: GOOG) joined the case - also backed by Firefox’s Mozilla - in February.

(Photo: Javier Aroche)

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